Theme: Togainu no Chi AU

Akashi: The current Il Re and ruler of Toushima, a fact that is unknown to those outside the Vischio. 24 years old. He is said to be unbeatable, even more so than the previous one. He was the only son of the CFC's (Northern half of former Japan) leader, but left home for reasons unknown. He uses a pair of twin katanas, Ouka (桜花) and Kikka (菊花). Like his predecessor Shiki, he is feared by many participants as he appears out of the blue and starts killing people. However, he only targets Line users.

Kuroko: A mysterious young man who lives in Toushima. 21 going on 22. He is a member of the Vischio, who works as an information broker. He is sometimes referred to as the "Shadow of Toushima". Despite how he looks, he is much more dangerous than he always appears to be. He wields a kubikiri tantou (google it to find out what makes it different from other tantou) named Kagerou (影郎), which is also his family heirloom.

Notes: Title is inspired by Hakkenden: Touhou Hakken Ibun's second season's ending song.

Written in Kuroko's POV.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kuroko no Basket as well as Togainu no Chi.

AkaKuro AU Challenge Day 34

Togainu no Chi AU

"My one and only light"

The year 20XX AD.

Following the outbreak of the Third Division—the Third World War in the history of mankind in the West, the island country of Japan began her path towards absolute militarization. This was preceded by rapid economic expansion and development, which lead to and was accompanied by the evolution of ideology.

Despite much protest from the people, the government set out on its path towards establishing what they called a 'totalitarian national ideology'. The citizens of Japan no longer had their freedom, they were nothing but mere puppets to be controlled by those who rule their country. The education system changed drastically— facilities which once imparted to children the knowledge of the world now became breeding grounds for soldiers and military personnel.

They had created a perfect system optimized for facing the war ahead... that was what they thought, at least.

The hellish nightmare that struck the nation was much, much worse than anyone could have ever predicted. It tore through the country and ripped it into shreds, leaving behind in its wake scars so deep it could never be able heal completely.

Once proud and prosperous, Japan was now in ruin, its former glory nothing but a thing of the past. The road to recovery was excruciatingly slow; policies created by the world government further hindered her scars to heal.

After the war had officially ended, a temporary division of the nation was implemented, in hopes of speeding up reconstruction. Each side had their own leaders, and with the reconstruction of cities and towns the country could resume functioning. The country was to be reborn into a new one; everything of the past, including the heavily damaged capital, was cast aside.

However, despite everything returning to normal, there was still one large problem.

The leaders of the East and West—the two divisions, each had differing visions of the ideal nation. Talks of unification always ended in failure, and the tension between both sides were so high, even the tiniest trigger could lead to a big conflict.

Looking at things from another perspective, the Third World War was still not over... at least, for this country called Japan.

That is that is the country that I was born and raised in.

I spent most, if not all of my childhood in my home. Schools in this part of the country where I lived in were nothing but breeding grounds for bullies and potential criminals; no one goes there to learn anything. Those who do always end up dropping out in less than a week. The teachers there don't even have the power, authority or willpower to do anything to stop them.

That's what my mother, who was a former high-school teacher, always says.

Instead, she taught me things she felt that I needed to know— languages, mathematics, sciences, humanities, general knowledge, life skills... she imparted everything she knew to me, her only child.

That is, until a criminal broke into our home on my fourteenth birthday and killed my mother right in front of my eyes.

A lot of things happened since then. I had to learn how to survive in this pathetic world on my own, and what I experienced was more than anything I could ever learn cooped up in a stuffy little room.

When I finally acquired all the knowledge and skills I needed, I began to plot my revenge.

Of course, it was a tedious process of obtaining, gathering and sorting information. It wasn't easy to track down a mass murderer, to be honest; it took even more effort to plan his demise and execute him.

However, things got out of my calculation—apparently the murderer was the son of some politician, which was probably why he got off scot free for his atrocities. It's sickening how corrupt those people are up there. I ended up having to go on the run, even though I was sure that no one really knew that I was the culprit.

Other than this, there was another problem that I had realized too late: what was I going to do from here on?

Somehow, I wandered about the country until I found myself in Toushima—the former capital of Japan. There, I was picked up by the man who stands at the top of this ruined, God-forsaken city. His name is Akashi Seijuurou, who holds the coveted title of Il Re. He stands at the head at not only this fallen city; he is also the head of the famous criminal organization Vischio and the strongest player of Igra, the game of survival played in Toushima.

However, I didn't know of this the first time we met, and I was foolish enough to point my blade at him.

"You're interesting," was what he said when he had defeated me, standing tall with the blade of one of his two swords at my neck. "And I'm not merely referring to your blade, or the unique way you use it, but rather of you as an individual. With a… talent such as yours, it would be such a waste to let you die here. Say, won't you work for me? I promise I'll properly take care of you."

I was perturbed. I didn't know how to answer him then, but I decided to follow him since I had nowhere else to go.

And since then, I've been working for the Vischio as an information broker for Igra (and other things, though I don't want to describe them in detail). Since I'm not a participant, I don't have to fight anyone. The participants aren't allowed to attack me, either. If they do, I'm allowed to kill them. I still carry Kagerou on my person as I move around. It's secured onto my belt, placed horizontally against my hips just above my bottom, hidden from the sight of most people thanks to the oversized hooded windbreaker I was made to wear. It made it easy to draw when I need to use it; I got the permission to use it for self-protection.

Well, I guess being here has changed my life by ways I could never imagine. Whether it's a good thing or a bad one, I have yet to decide.

Well, at least I've got to make the acquaintance of other people, since I had been alone all this time.

"Tetsu! There you are!"

"Aomine-kun. What is it this time?"

Aomine Daiki-kun was a person whom I became acquainted with when I arrived here. Apparently, he has spent a long time here, and can be considered the strongest in Igra if the Il Re didn't exist. His fighting style is unpredictable and unstoppable; he doesn't follow the patterns of a specific style and has the strength and speed to compliment this style. One thing that amuses me is that instead of using a standard weapon, such as a dagger, he actually uses a pair of jitte, and he's good with them, too.

"What do you mean by 'this time'? I only need some information from you!"

"It's going to cost you, you know."

"It's fine. I just took out an entire gang by myself, so I have some to spare."

"… What is it you want to find out about?"

"Well, there's this… guy, that I've been seeing around lately. I started noticing him about two weeks ago. He's a little shorter than me, and has blonde hair, long lashes and a pretty face for a guy."

Oh? That's an interesting and unusual expression he's wearing.

"So? What do you want me to do?"

"I want you to tell me more about the guy. You do know about him, don't you?"

"Well, I do, but…"

"But?"

I reached my hand out. "Two tags. And one of them better be a Royal."

Aomine-kun's grimace was amusing. "Tetsu!"

"I see the symbol on your money before I open my mouth."

"Fine! Take it, extortionist!"

Aomine-kun grabbed two tags from his pocket and tossed them towards me. I only needed one hand to catch them.

"This is not an extortion, but a business deal. Be thankful; I already gave you a huge discount."

"I already paid you, so start talking!"

"Now now, there's no need to be impatient. Let's see… where should I start… his biography and brief history should be good. His name is Kise Ryouta, 23 years-old just like you are. Born the only son of an antique dealer on 18th June with two older sisters. Born and raised in SEA district. Like you, he dropped out of middle school and participated in Bl ster and eventually became the champion in his area. A year after you arrived in Toushima… which was about eight years ago, he was scouted and debuted as a model. For some unknown reason, he decided to participate in Igra and was escourted to Toushima twenty-five days ago. Is there anything else you want to ask?"

"Yeah… what kind of person is he like? Is he strong?"

"Define strong."

"Think of me."

I had to roll my eyes at that reply.

"Well, he's not as strong as you, so to speak, but he's a quick learner. I happened to witness him in action a few times. Despite being new to this he has adapted exceptionally well. He is capable of taking down several opponents single-handedly, and his skills and techniques improve with each victory. If I had to predict, he hasn't reached his true potential yet, though he is able to stand his ground. If he does, he will be one of the strongest Toushima had ever seen. Don't tell me you're planning on challenging him, Aomine-kun."

"Nah. I don't have that in mind at the moment, though it may sound interesting to do so."

"You're not looking for a fight?"

"Well, yeah. Is there something wrong about that?"

"I wouldn't say that it's wrong, but it's just… rare. It's rare for you to ask me about a person or group and not want to fight them. In fact, this is probably the first time."

"That is true, I guess..."

"But if it's not because you want to fight him, then why do you want to know so much about him?"

I could guess why he wanted to, but it's fun to see him find out for himself. Despite his fighting prowess, he is nothing but a big idiot. Fortunately, it looks like my hard work paid off.

Look that his face go red. What a precious sight to behold.

"Ah, I, well... i-it's just that... I got interested in him, that's all? And you could say I'm doing some sort of research... yeah, research, that's it! In case we happen to meet and he challenges me or something!"

"Yes, right..."

"I-It's the truth! You know how those annoying shitheads always come in flocks to get their butts kicked by me! Just because I'm strong!"

"If you're that strong, then go and challenge the Il Re. You already collected so many tags that you already meet the criteria for a challenge."

"Are you asking me to die?!"

"Of course not. But it's such a waste, don't you think?"

"Says the person who told me when I first came here that no one has ever survived a battle with the Il Re! I told you before that I only decided to participate in Igra for the thrills! The challenge! For the exhilaration that you can't find anywhere else."

"You sure are twisted."

"The pot calling the kettle black. I don't want to hear that from someone who works for the Vischio."

"So, back to the main topic. If you want to meet up with that Kise Ryouta-kun... I could arrange a meeting if you'd like."

"Really?"

"As always, it will cost you, though."

"I did expect that you'd say something like that. So? How much will it cost?"

"I don't want your payment in tags for this, though."

"Oh? Then what do you want? A favour?"

"Yes. I need you to help me with an investigation. You have heard of the recently famous underground Line clubs, have you?"

"Yeah. Of course I have. With that mysterious Akashi dude going about slashing up Line users, those who want the drug must get it from these clubs, hidden from the eyes of the Vischio. It's been like that since six years ago, after the previous Il Re was defeated and Line became illegal."

"Yes. The Vischio closed one eye towards these clubs in order to get rid of the massive stock of Line that was produced. However, there is one thing that we cannot condone, and that is stealing."

"Stealing? You mean, someone stole Line?"

"Yes. Those who distribute Line must have the permission of the Il Re to do so. However, it is reported that three crates of Line have been stolen from one of them. We are talking about seventy-two vials of pure, undiluted Line here, and it is likely that the thief is selling them illegally."

"That's dangerous."

"Yes. The reason why those who sell Line must have a proper license?"

"It's obvious: the dosage."

"Yes. Though the amount of Line needed to affect the human body varies from person to person. Get the right dosage, and it benefits you. Any more than that, your body will break down from the inside and you'll die. Then again, even if you take the right amount you'll end up turning into a junkie and die anyway."

"So, let me guess… you want me to find the guy who stole the loot."

"Not exactly. We have already found the culprit." I fished a photograph from my jeans pocket, and handed it to him. "His name is Haizaki Shougo. He was last seen in the Northern area, though he may have wandered off somewhere else. Due to the increase of Line users in that area, we suspect that he is distributing his stolen goods."

"First stealing, then becoming an illegal vendor? That guy must be asking for it."

"We don't have the evidence, so we can't do anything to him. Also, I sense that there is something more behind just that. Aomine-kun, what I need you to do is to investigate on whether Haizaki is distributing Line illegally. If you can gather proof of any kind, hand it to me immediately. Don't get involved in any unnecessary trouble that could put your life in danger. And don't think that little scratches or a bruise doesn't fall under that. If you feel any danger approaching, withdraw immediately."

"Got it. The Northern area... right?"

"Yes. Kise Ryouta-kun can often be found there as well. If you're lucky, you might catch his eye."

"So that's what you mean by you'd arrange a meeting?"

"Of course not. Of course I'll arrange a formal meeting. Before that happens I'll give you a chance to meet him. Consider it as a special service on my part. Though I'm sure that something might happen between the two of you before I do anything."

"Gee, thanks."

"I have to be on my way soon. I look forward to hearing from you soon."

"Yeah. See ya."

After this encounter with Aomine-kun, I had to return back to the Vischio's headquarters. Fortunately, there were plenty of shortcuts I could take, so I managed to make it back in time. If I were even a second late, things would have gotten nasty.

Upon entering the large building, I walked as fast as I could down the long hallways and up the steps leading to the inner rooms. I didn't need to know which room I needed to find him in, I managed to find it by instinct.

"It's about time you arrived, Tetsuya." was what he said when I entered.

As predicted, he was enjoying his afternoon tea, like he always was. "It's the sitting room today, huh..."

"Why not? Come right in and join me."

"I'll pass, if you'd please. I'm just here to give my daily report on the Line users."

"Oh? Let's hear it."

"Apparently, the murder in the South area that was reported this morning was the working of a group who call themselves 'Scarrz'. I found a witness, who provided a detailed description on the series of events. From his testimony, we can safely deduce that all of them were under influence of Line at the time of the murder. I also managed to locate their hideout."

I take out a small slip of paper, littered with my hand-written diagram and notes, and place it on the table next to him. He picks it up and takes a glance before placing it down again.

"Good job as always, Tetsuya. As a reward, please join me for a late-night supper today."

"Only a late-night supper?" I raised my eyebrow, knowing fully well what he was implying.

In response to my question he chuckled, and twirled his teacup. "Who knows."

"Now, if you would excuse me, I must be going off."

"Heading to on to your other job?"

"That would be much later. Perhaps before that, 'late-night supper' you mentioned."

"I shall come to pick you up, then. I happen to have a lot of time on my hands."

I rolled my eyes at him before turning around to walk away. "Unlike you, I don't."

"Be careful, Tetsuya. Don't let your guard down."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Ah, Tetsuya. Wait. Come back here. You forgot something."

Like I did.

"What is it?"

I turned around and walked back to him, and when I was within his reach he grabbed the sleeve of my shirt. He pulled me down so that our faces were in close, that our lips were brushing.

I was about to protest about this, until he placed a quick peck on my lips.

When he released the hold on my sleeve, I gave him a frown. "What's that for?"

"Hmm… a good luck charm?"

I shook my head with slight exasperation. "I have to be going."

"Later, then."

XXX

It was late at night, and a thick fog had settled into the area. It made the perfect setting for a fight, if I had to say so myself.

I have been keeping watch of the Scarrz group for a while, and nothing is happening, to my disappointment. They're just sitting along the streets, laughing and going about how they took out other gangs or bragging about the tags they owned. I was sort-of hoping that one of them would mention something that could allow me to send the Executioners after them; the way they talked about other people in such as derogatory manner.

I mentally counted the number of people there were, and it came up to ten in total. That is strange, though; in my investigation the group was supposed to have more than thirty members.

It is possible that there are more inside that building they have gathered near... but it's a risk I need to take.

Just a while more... just a little while more before I can strike.

"Hey!" A voice calls from a distance, and I watch as a plump man came running over. "I managed to get some from that guy!"

It was hard to see because it was dark, but there was no mistake in what I am seeing now. That little thing he is holding up in his hand... it's unmistakably Line. Not to mention that the vial is still unopened, meaning that the drug is undiluted.

This is the chance that I have been waiting for!

I moved swiftly, pulling my hood lower to conceal the upper half of my face and drawing Kagerou from its sheath. Creeping up behind the man closest to me, I quickly slashed his neck from behind. The cut I left was deep enough to damage his vocal cords, and to allow for blood to spurt out. The man collapsed to the ground, and just as his companions had just begun to notice what was going on I had started on the second one.

I could feel the adrenaline building up in my veins, my heightened senses portraying the scene in vivid detail. I can even hear each word of their panicked yells and cries as they try to figure out what was going on.

"I-It's the Black Executioner!" I heard one of them scream, but I sliced his neck open before he could utter another word.

Excluding the guy who brought the Line, whom I need to capture alive, there were four more opponents left. I took our five already, so…

Wait.

Four?

There's supposed to be one more!

Don't tell me…!

He must have gone to get reinforcements!

Well… this isn't good. It really isn't.

Now I need to hurry before he returns. If he returns with any more people, not only would I be severely outnumbered, I would also be at a great disadvantage. I had already lost the element of surprise; with all this blood on my clothes even my lack of presence wouldn't help me anymore, even if the fog is still this thick.

"Three more… Two more…"

"There he is! Hurry up! We can take him out easy!"

Well, damn.

I couldn't make it in time.

It was no surprise to find myself surrounded. This time, there were more people than I expected. Did this gang even have that many people to begin with?

No time to think about the small gritty details. I need to find a way out of this situation.

The guy who possesses the Line hasn't escaped yet, and I wonder why. He's just standing behind the protection of his fellow gang members. He's not going to escape?

"Hoyoiiiiiiyaaaaaa!"

One of them suddenly charged towards me, his bat raised high above his head. I dodged it and retaliated with my own attack.

I could see it clearly in his eyes. This guy was under the influence of Line, and scanning the crowd I could see that most of them were.

This is going to be troublesome.

"Die, you!"

The next one made his move…

"Ya ain't gonna get away with this!"

… and so did the next one.

Dear me.

I took the two down at the same time, jabbing my foot hard into the crotch of the first (it was the highest I could reach; my apologies to that guy) while slashing the neck of the second. I spun around and finished off the other, but before I could prepare myself for what was coming next I felt something hard connect with the back of my head. I let out a small grunt as I staggered forward from the force of the blow, and the blunt yet throbbing pain registered in my brain.

"!"

Another burst of pain, a hard one this time, came from my abdomen. While I was distracted by the first attack, someone else took the opportunity to jab his knee against my stomach.

After that the assaults just came all at once. Slashes, kicks, punches… though I managed to off some of them it didn't help that I was severely outnumbered.

I didn't know how or by what, I was knocked down to the ground… and the clanging sound of metal on concrete made me realized that Kagerou was no longer in my hand.

…

… I'm doomed aren't I?

Or so I thought, until I heard the a bloodcurdling scream from the back of the crowd, followed by several more. If only I didn't have my arms raised to block the oncoming blows, I could catch a glimpse of what was going on.

"Get away from him."

A voice that was too familiar to me commanded, and almost immediately after that I could hear the shuffling of feet. And when I thought all was silent, the clacking sound of booted feet steadily approaching reached my ears.

I lowered my arms and opened my eyes towards the direction of that sound, just as it stopped close to me. I looked up, and was surprised to see the person who was standing next to me.

"S… Sei… kun?"

"Tetsuya." He smiled gently at me as he spoke my name, with each syllable pronounced separately and strongly emphasized. The sword in his right hand— Kikka, the one with the golden-yellow hilt, had its blade stained with blood. "I came to pick you up."

I could hear a commotion going on around us in the background; the sight of Sei… the infamous Akashi who shows up out of the blue and starts a massacre, must have been a nasty surprise.

"But before we go," his tone changed almost instantly, as he turned his attention back to the crowd. The gloved fingers of his left hand clasped around his other sword, Ouka, and he slowly drew it from its scabbard. "The people who had the courage to even dare to think of hurting my most precious person, step forward right this instant."

The tone that he used was so frightening; even I felt a chill run up my spine. Everyone else, though under the influence of Line, were probably frozen with fear; none of them were able to move even a fraction of an inch.

"If no one dared to step out, then that would mean that every single one of you are guilty of the deed. Well, fine then. I'll just have to kill all of you."

"Wait, Sei… Don't kill the guy with the sunglasses… I need to interrogate him later…"

"I see. But rest assured, I already know about that, and had already knocked him out."

"Is that… so?"

I tried… struggled to stand, but as I managed to get onto my feet my vision went black, and the all the strength I had attempted to muster in my legs all vanished all at once…

…

…

I didn't know for how long I was unconscious, but when I awoke the first thing I heard was Sei's voice.

"…tsuya? Tetsuya? Are you awake?"

I opened my eyes slowly, and found myself in a darkened room; the only sources of illumination were orange light of the candles placed at certain parts of the room. This place was, without doubt, his… our bedchamber, the one where we had spent many nights together.

I let my eyes wander, searching for his face in the dim light, and I found it on my right. He was sitting beside the bed I was resting on, and probably had been sitting there for a long period of time to watch over me.

"Sei… kun?" I mumble out his name slowly, sounding the best I can manage with my hoarse voice and parched throat. "How long was I out?"

"About two days. I had Shintarou administer some sedatives before he patched you up, and when he came up to check on you a second time. How are you feeling?"

"Numb, I guess." It was the truth; I could barely feel anything. "Were my injuries that bad?"

"The only injury that was closest to being fatal was the deep slash in your upper arm. Shintarou had to stitch up the wound. Other than that, there are several cuts and bruises here and there that aren't too fatal."

"I must look like a wreck."

"Indeed, you do."

I let out a small sigh.

"As expected of Sei-kun, you don't mince your words."

"It's the truth, and I'm merely stating it. You were careless, Tetsuya, and this is the price you had to pay for not heeding my advice."

"I am repenting."

"Good that you are."

"I'll be more careful in the future."

"You better be."

"But…"

"But?"

"Thanks for coming to my rescue. If you didn't show up, I wouldn't know what to do, or what could have happened."

"I'm always watching over you, Tetsuya. No matter where were you are, I will always come to your aid if you need me. I don't want anything to happen to the people who are important to me. Did you have any idea how I felt when I caught you in that predicament?"

Sei…

I'm really being loved, aren't I?

"I'm sorry…"

"You don't have to apologise, Tetsuya. Just don't repeat this mistake. Don't let me go through this a second time."

"I understand."

"But I'm glad that you're safe, and that's important." He brushed his lips against my forehead. "That being said, I'm a little disappointed the plans I had specially crafted for that night were ruined. I must have you make up for that once you make a complete recovery."

"What was so special about that day, anyway?"

The expression on Sei's face changed to one of confusion, and I'm puzzled by his reaction.

"You mean you forgot?"

"Forgot… what?"

"The day two days ago."

"I haven't been keeping track of the dates and months ever since I came here, so I wouldn't know if there's any special dates, anniversaries or events unless I hear it from someone. And that someone is usually you. So what day was it supposed to be?"

"Your birthday."

Oh?

It was my birthday?

I had completely forgotten about that.

But… wait a minute…

"I don't recall telling you when my birthday was."

"You didn't. I found out about it on my own."

I half-expected that.

I was going to ask him more about that, but he interrupted me before I could.

"I'm going to ask Shintarou to come up to take a look at your condition. We'll talk more later about that once that's done."

"You're just trying to avoid the topic."

"I'm not, believe me."

"You know I do."

"Thank you, Tetsuya. Now," Sei stood up, picking up Ouka and Kikka from where he had left them. "I have some business that needs my immediate attention."

"A challenger?"

"Yes. I received the notice just minutes before you regained consciousness. It's not going to take too long; I'll be back before you even know it. Shintarou will be here soon, so stay in bed like an obedient child."

I couldn't get out of it even if I wanted to.

As much as I wanted to retort with that, I couldn't really be bothered to.

"Okay."

"Would you like a farewell kiss?"

While I find it odd that he had asked when he would usually just do the deed, I could only nod in reply.

He smiled, a gentle one this time instead of usual arrogant smirks, and leaned over to capture my lips. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to savour the feeling of his warm lips on my dry ones. I didn't know for long we remained lip-locked, but I had to admit that I shamelessly enjoyed every second of it.

After we broke apart, we said our goodbyes, and that we would be once again by each other's side soon enough, he left the room.

I closed my eyes again, and can't help but allow a silly little grin to appear on my face.

People say that in Toushima, the fallen, forsaken city stained in the bleak shades of ruin and melancholy, there is nothing to be found but death and despair. However, I know that that isn't true, because in this place, I managed to find so many things that I thought I would be incapable of attaining.

Meeting Sei had changed my life so much, and he gave me so many things…experiences of different kinds, happiness… and most importantly, a place I can belong to.

Even if it's for everything the world has to offer, there is no way I will give this up. I will protect this place, no matter how dirty I have to get to do so.

Because this the place where Sei is.

Sei isn't just my lover. He is my most important person…

The one and only light of my life.

-END-